Micro-fishing is a term used to describe angling for small fish. These fish are often small by nature, which means that they do not reach mature sizes much beyond 6 inches in length. Although we can commonly think of the small fish that we see in streams, ponds, rivers, lakes, and the like as minnows, bait fish, or some other small fish in general, the fact is that most species of fish in North America are small fish.

Micro-fishing for recreation has been very popular in Japan for many years. They have developed short rods without reels and use an extremely fine line, or by tradition, the long hair of a woman, hopefully one that you have a fondness for. They also use very small hooks; Similar is the size of the small hooks used by the tout angler. Some of these hooks are custom designed and shaped specifically to fit in the mouth of small fish.

The Japanese have great skill in micro fishing. The great popularity of the sport has pushed the Japanese to perfect and develop their fishing tactics and equipment. Most of the American anglers that I know of who use micro fish use small hooks made in Japan, as well as a very light fishing line, also from Japan <1 pound test or <0.5 test (pretty impressive considering likely losing ~ 50% strength). in the knot). This type of micro-fishing certainly takes place throughout the United States and around the world. The Japanese are also pioneers in urban fishing, whose urban fish (outside of legend and folklore) are largely micro-fish. These urban fishing areas allow people who might not otherwise be able to fish as a consequence of living in big cities the opportunity to enjoy fishing - some restaurants even insist on catching their own fish before they prepare it! Fish doesn't get much fresher than that!

However, outside of Japan, many fishermen do not target these many species of fish due to their small size. Micro-Fishing opens the world of angling to many more species of fish and many more places to catch them. In addition to the many species of small fish throughout America, it is also exciting to catch small or juvenile game fish such as trout, sea bass, catfish, pike, walleye, etc. This can often be done in your favorite fishing hole – just think of the 10 feet off the shore that you’re usually casting as a brand new hotspot!

Micro sport fishing can be incredibly challenging. Some fishers target rare fish species or subspecies that may exist only in small areas of certain river systems. Some will head deep into the mountains to find pristine little lakes and ponds that are home to eager little trout. American micro-fishers and fisherwomen have developed their own diverse sets of tactics and strategies, and these are as diverse as the myriad species of small fish that these fishermen pursue.

Basically micro-fishing is like normal fishing, and just like fishing, the equipment – that is, the rod, reel, line, and bait – must match the fish that is being chased. You wouldn’t carry your heavy catfish tackle to catch foot-long trout, would you? Similarly, you need to make sure that if you are micro fishing, you have the right gear and gear. More on that later. First a note on tactics.

Micro-fishing doesn’t really require special tactics. If you are fishing in your local fishing hole, simply reducing your gear appropriately for smaller fish, you have taken the first steps to micro-fishing. Small wild game fish such as bass, perch, bluegill, sunfish, trout, pike, gar, catfish, etc. they can be fished with the same bait and tactics as their older brothers. People are often surprised at how close microfish are to shore, don’t think they need to be thrown out. Often micro-fishing 1 to 8 feet from shore, or directly from a man-made structure, often results in very good micro-fishing.

My advice is that it is often good to start close to shore and then work out in shallow water, or start at 6 to 8 feet and work toward shore on a deeper shore. Another obvious tip is to go somewhere you fish regularly, or somewhere you know there are small fish, usually because you can see them swimming (or often chasing your bait on your big rod when you bring it). I mention this because it can be frustrating to go fishing for the first time in a small creek or creek without fish. It can be surprising where and where the small fish are. Pick a good spot and you’ll be catching micro-fish in no time!

Now my favorite about fishing (besides fishing, of course), the gear and tackle! Certainly micro-fishing can be done with a very small hook and a small divided draft weight. The Japanese often use a small stick, some with a soft rubber tip for the last few inches and only a few feet of line. Use small indicator beads to see the bite, as well as a sensitive sense of touch, and then lift the fish out of the water.

Here in America, the types of micro fishing rigs are incredibly diverse. In large part, like most fishermen, they have built and developed their own systems. Fishing is always a sport of innovation and development of new gear and tactics. This is certainly true in the case of micro-fishing. There are many options to choose from and there is no one correct answer. You can have a lot of fun catching micro-fish on a variety of different types of platforms.

Some popular options:

1. Use your own rod and reel. Put in a small hook and a small split shot to start. Float indicators and small coils can also be helpful. Ideally, put a lighter line or a long lightweight leader as well.

Pros: Cheap, easy to install and fish.

Cons: Fishing for small fish on normal sized fishing rods and reels is not usually that much fun. Just take the sport out a little bit. You have to use your main fishing rod. Micro fishing is nice to be able to do while letting your big fish bait soak in! That is why it is nice to have a dedicated rod.

2. Fly fishing rod: Long fly rods are popular and can be a good choice as they give the angler a long reach. This can provide a great advantage in presenting the bait to the fish. The difficulty with a fly rod, in my opinion, is that you have to be very careful to find the correct stiffness for the rod. If the rod is too light, the slight movement of your hand will translate directly through the fly rod to the bait. This can cause the bait to pop erratically and make it difficult to present the bait. If the reed is too stiff, it can also be a bamboo reed, you just won’t feel any action.

Pros: The long rod allows the presentation of the bait in difficult to reach places. Wide variety of rods and reels available. You may already own a rod and reel that could be used for micro-fishing. Also, if you know the guys / girls at your local fly shop, they are great resources for finding fish, as well as finding small hooks, light line, foam floats, and many other gear that can be used for micro fishing.

Cons: It can be frustrating if the fly rod is not the correct rod weight. Some fly rods can be quite expensive and also easy to break. Sometimes long fly rods can be a bit painful on the backside to handle. If you are fishing in a small stream or waterway, and 8 ‘getting rid it can feel pretty big.

3. Japanese style post. These are pretty straightforward, as most of the ones I’ve seen are just a small stick, usually 4 feet long. Although some are longer. Some will have a 2-3 inch section of rubber on the end of the rod instead of a standard grommet. They usually do not have a spool. Very light line, small hooks and a deft touch are the tools of the trade.

Pros: The proven system has been used for generations. This setup is very simple at its most basic in terms of use, with a short rod with a short fixed line section. There are a wide variety of hook and tackle options available specifically designed for use with these types of rods.

Cons: Personally, I’m not a fan of “Bamboo Pole Rods” as they don’t have a lot of action (they tend to be stiff). I also like having a reel and the option of more than a few fixed feet of line. The “dip the bait and lift the rod” method of getting the minnow out can work on really small guys without much of a fight, but if you catch a decent 5-6 ‘minnow. Not having a reel or any extra play on the rod usually means they have come off the hook or the fish is just dragging in.

4. Ice fishing rods. There are some nice ice fishing rods that come standard in shorter lengths (no need to cast when ice fishing properly!). If you find the right ice fishing rod, which is light enough, they can be quite nice micro-small rods due to their short length.

Pros: The compact length is ideal for micro fishing. Rod available in different weights.

Cons: These rods are usually stiff, and I find that even the lightest ice fishing rod can be a bit stiff for micro-fishing. It can be difficult to order online as these rods really have to feel these rods to choose the correct weight of the rod, this can be a problem as most tackle shops outside of the North of the USA. They don’t have ice fishing gear.

5. Micro sport fishing equipment. These rods and reels are a relatively new entry in the range of micro sport fishing gear and deserve a little more attention. These microsport rigs are the only rod and reel configurations specifically designed to catch only micro fish. These are advertised as fully functional, scaled (1/6) rods and reels for Micro-Sport Fishing. They refer to this as micro-sport fishing as their rods and reels are designed to make small fish fight and feel like a big fish. These are very sensitive and use over 5 degrees of carbon fiber tube and rods, all hand-assembled and very well finished. In fact, I picked up one of these a few days ago. I’ll tell you, these are the reel fishing rods. Great action, top quality materials and very well built by hand. I’m really enjoying mine, and I just bought another one for my grandson.

Pros: Designed for micro fishing, these really bring the sport to micro fishing. There is probably no more exciting way to catch a 4 “fish than on one of these rods and reels. The reel is very smooth with all Teflon bushings and a functional drag that is light enough to allow small fish to pull the reel line. A career, like sport fishing! These rigs come standard with Berkley NanoFil and Tiemco or Owner hooks (both from Japan) in size 26 I think. Almost ready to fish, just a little worm .

Cons: These can be pricey, a rod and reel can easily cost $ 50- $ 100. However, this is a high-quality, hand-made rod and reel in the USA, they are simply smaller. You definitely get what you pay for and the quality of these equipment is outstanding. The other problem with these rods is that they are small. Not good for children under 5-6 years old or if they have bad hands. If you can tie a fly to a light leader or hit a small hook with a worm, then you should be good.